Operators given new deadline in German licensing process
Applicants have until 14 March to amend failed licence submissions with procedure set to drag into H2 this year
The Hessian Ministry of the Interior has set operators a deadline of 14 March to amend their rejected applications for German sports betting licences.
eGaming Review understands the 41 operators that had their initial applications rejected in November have all received individual letters from the Ministry requesting additional documentation.
One operator confirmed the receipt of its letter to eGR, adding that it hoped the process was “more professional than the last time”.
Despite the development, the first issue of the 20 available licences is unlikely to occur until the second half of the year with the Ministry likely to require several months to review the amended submissions and make a formal decision on licensees.
The Ministry has also agreed to give rejected applicants prior notice to allow them to appeal against the decision, with a standstill period of 15 days allowed for legal measures.
Matthias Spitz, an attorney at German legal firm MELCHERS, said any rejected applicant would most likely try to delay the licensing process further by using this route, and could also demand to see the Ministry’s official records.
“As a consequence, it appears highly unlikely that any sports betting licence will be issued in the first half of 2014,” Spitz said.
Any such delay would mean that the first licences would not be issued until more than a year after the first licences were initially expected, with criticism continuing to mount over the Ministry’s lack of transparency.